The near clean-sweep in the elections in Bangladesh in December 2008 by the Awami League led by Hasina Wajed is reminiscent of what this party had achieved in the general elections in East Pakistan in 1970 for the 300-member National Assembly .when Yahya Khan was the military ruler.
Since East Pakistan was more populous than the country'swestern wing, it was allotted 171 seats and the western wing, 129. When elections took place sometime in mid-1970, the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman had stunned the country and the world at large by winning 170 of the 171 seats, conceding just one seat to the Muslim League candidate T Ali from Comilla district bordering Tripura State of India.
The West Pakistanis were flabbergasted. How could a Bengali ? never mind the fact that he was a Muslim ? become an elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, they had asked themselves and had put all obstructions on the path of such a thing happening.
Hasina'srecord of 268 wins for her party, the Awami League, and its associates winning 268 of the 299 seats in December 29 elections, reminds one of the 1970 performance of her party then led by Mujib.
The reluctance of West Pakistan to accept the Eastern wing'sleader as the Prime Minister had led to a stalemate that was not resolved for months
In this atmosphere of anger and helplessness on the part of the East Pakistanis the territory was hit early on November 12, 1970 by a cyclone?called later the Bhola Cyclone?which had caused so much devastation that meteorologists had described it as the most severe cyclone ever recorded in the world and caused loss of five lakh people on the conservative side but ten lakhs according to available records of devastation. The island Bhola falling on the tract was totally depopulated which gave the name to this cyclone. Indian aid was denied to the people and the Governor had reported to Islamabad that only 16,000 people had died.
This storm had fuelled people'sanger to no end and by the turn of the new year, the East Pakistanis were determined to revolt and gain independence. Came March 26, 1971 and Major Zia, the husband of Begum Khaleda Zia, declared independence from his Chitttagong base and later Mujib in his unforgettable speech from the Ramna Maidan, Dhaka, on March 7 had reiterated the demand for independence.
To cut a long story short, the victory of the Awami League now is one of the biggest events in the history of the subcontinent and deserves to be welcomed by every Indian because it gives us hope that Bangladesh will remain a liberal Muslim country and will not give quarters to extremist elements like in Pakistan.
(AG)
